Re-Building.com
Re:BUILDING
A Preservation Newsletter
Volume 26 - June, 2005
Published by Martin Hackl, River Forest, Illinois
Historic Flori Blondeel house in Oak Park to be Cloned
Despite strong misgivings at their May, 2005 meeting, the Oak Park Historic Preservation Commission met again Thursday June 9, and approved a totally outrageous addition the this architecturally significant structure (and unique grouping of structures).
The three Flori Blondeel houses are part of a unique grouping of three Prairie School structures designed by John Van Bergen in 1913. All three structures have survived mostly unaltered until this time. The new addition will more than double the size of the house. The new owners have claimed economic necessity, as their primary motive for the alterations. They have also stated that they made great efforts to be sensitive to the architect and his original design.
When I first saw these drawings, I thought it was a practical joke. It's not a joke.
Further than that, this writer is speechless.
Here is some further background on the Blondeel designs:
http://www.re-building.com/johnvanbergen/blondeelall.html
http://www.re-building.com/johnvanbergen/blondeel2.html
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